Bowties and Boyfriends
by emmaplodocus
Summary: I kissed a girl spoilers. "Your hideous bow ties are provoking me." Blaine takes Santana's comment to heart and Kurt's the only one to notice. Blaine just wants people to like him and Kurt just wants him to understand that he should never change.


Spoiler for I kissed a girl.

Based on this post on tumblr where people a hell of a lot more observant than I am noticed Blaine stopped wearing the bow ties for the rest of the episode. (Remove the ?s)

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xxxxx

Getting ready for another day at school Blaine was stood in front of his full length mirror, seconds away from leaving the house and meeting Kurt for their pre-school coffee. He stroked the soft material of the bowtie between his fingers before closing his eyes and sighing,

"_I'm trying, but your hideous bow ties are provoking me."_

He opens his draw and carefully places the bowtie back, closing the draw to the brightly coloured items he adores so much, closing the draw to the individuality he enjoys so much whenever he wears one.

Santana's words had really gotten to him.

Blaine was sure that she wouldn't have even thought of them since they came out her mouth, but he had been. One stupid comment about his wardrobe, that was it, but he just couldn't brush it off. At the end of the day it was just one more thing that made him stand out in a bad way in the glee club and especially in the school, it was one more thing that people didn't like about him.

Mike and Tina were kind to him, he and Rachel had bonded over West Side Story, but he resented her for running in the school election, and Kurt, _of course _he was kind. But, Blaine felt alone in that school. No one else seemed to like him. Finn definitely didn't and Blaine didn't know why, they got along during the summer, and he seemed so supported of him and Kurt but Blaine had clearly done something wrong, had somehow upset the other boy. And now, he realised Finn wasn't the only one he had managed to offend.

Blaine wanted so desperately to fit in and to love Kurt's friends, to find acceptance in the friends Kurt had found worthy of returning to McKinley for, but he didn't know how too. He was trying to hard to fit in, he tried to get along with the guys and the girls and he had made Kurt promise not to confront Finn but nothing seemed to help. Even singing a song telling Santana she was perfect just the way she was, a song that was special to him and Kurt hadn't gained him anything.

So he had changed the thing about him that he could, he could easily stop wearing bowties. Santana might have been saying what everyone was thinking and Blaine just wanted to be accepted. He could change that about him at least, it was worth a shot. The last thing Kurt needed anyway was a boyfriend who people hated, someone who would in turn cause trouble for Kurt. It would be for the best.

All he was left with as he left for school was feelings of dread and upset nestling in his stomach, and a shirt collar that certainly did not host a bowtie.

xxxxx

On Monday Santana had told Blaine that she was being provoked by his hideous bowties.

Tuesday through Friday saw Blaine abandon them.

Kurt didn't mention it throughout the week, hoping that it was coincidence, but he realised it wasn't as Blaine had never only worn one in a week. He loved his bowties, and look very good in them, he and Kurt shared a deep interest in fashion and it made Kurt angry and sad that he had stopped that for someone else. They had only been trying to help Santana after all, and she never did apologise for what she said before and after their duet. Kurt understood, he really did. He was perhaps a bit bitter about the fact that he had been through this himself and remained perfectly pleasant to everyone including his main bully, and got no where near the same amount of support, but he did understand.

What had annoyed him the most was that dig at Blaine.

Blaine who wasn't verbally admitting how much of a hard time he was having right now. Blaine had begged him not to confront Finn whenever he said something mean to him, and he had simply shrugged off Santana's words, but Kurt knew they had gotten to Blaine.

They were boyfriends. It was Kurt's job to make sure that Blaine didn't regret coming here, didn't regret them being together and he was going to make sure that no matter what, Blaine didn't regret them. He would bite his tongue and keep the promises he had made to Blaine about letting things run their course, and not stirring up trouble, but he was adamant that didn't mean he couldn't do something to make his boyfriend feel better.

He pulled into the mall and parked close to the entrance, storming inside set exactly on where he needed to go, giving himself something to focus on so that when he exchanged his money with the cashier he was no longer on the verge of raging on behalf of his quiet, sensitive and hurt boyfriend.

He was set on making things right.

xxxxx

Blaine smiled after Kurt let him into the house, "Where is everyone?"

"Everyone's out. Come here, I have something for you."

"Oh?" Blaine took Kurt's hand and they sat on the sofa together, their legs touching and Blaine can't help place a small kiss on the corner of Kurt's mouth because this, this boy here, is _everything to him._

"Blaine, I know no one else has noticed, and I know you think I haven't noticed either, but I have…you've stopped wearing bowties."

The smile falls off Blaine's face and he mumbles a reply.

"They're too flamboyant anyway. It doesn't matter. No big deal."

Kurt wants to cry and as he moved Blaine's face up so he can look him in the eyes he sees Blaine feels the same.

"It does matter. Don't ever say that your feelings don't. Here." He presents a small gift box to Blaine, expertly wrapped with ribbon and a bow, black with gold stripes, smart and fancy just like him, it looks too pretty to even open and Blaine can't understand what it is or why Kurt is even buying him presents. He feels guilty he hasn't brought anything in return.

"What's this for?"

"It's for you. Open it!" Kurt bounces on the cushions and bobs up and down excitedly making Blaine smile and carefully unwrap the gift, slipping a section of the paper and the bow into his hoody pocket because he's sentimental like that and he is thankful for whatever Kurt gives him.

It was a little blue box and inside, sat two new bow ties. Blaine gasped slightly, because they were gorgeous and perfect.

"One for you to wear casually," Kurt said pointing at the red and navy one he had purchased because it reminded him of Dalton, "and one for when you're with me." That was a black one with gold specs on it and gold stitching. Blaine couldn't stop looking at them. "I figured you could at least wear the fancy one on our next date…"

Blaine is blinking back tears all of a sudden and his voice is painfully close to being unsteady. He's so touched. "I can't believe you noticed."

"Of course I did. Santana won't even remember she said it, but I know it hurt you. Blaine you should never, ever stop doing something, or wearing something you love for other people. And for what it's worth, I love the bowties, I think you suit them perfectly and I wouldn't ever want you to lose that piece of yourself you love. So I brought you these to show you that I love everything about you and that one day I hope you'll love yourself just as much sometimes."

Blaine can't stop staring at the box as he tried to explain to Kurt why he dressed down that week.

"It's just that, if that's something people don't like about me then it's something easy, something I can change…"

"You shouldn't have to. You should have worn a different, increasingly obnoxious one every day just to rub it in her face."

Blaine laughs, because that is something Kurt would have done and he wishes he had that confidence.

"Thank you Kurt. Thank you so much, they mean so much to me."

They share a quick and gentle kiss before Blaine moves to take the bowties out of the box offering the red and navy one to Kurt.

"Help me put it on?"

The corner of Kurt's mouth quirks up in a playful smile. "But it doesn't match your outfit."

xxxxx

So, I kind of think it might be too much to ask for that this was done on purpose but I really, hope it was.

The show has so much potential for Blaine angst and I just hope it happens.

I really want him to snap and come undone, be vulnerable. I hope all these comments are heading somewhere and that his feelings about them and his insecurities are shown well, and I hope there's some comfort from Kurt in there too.

Basically, I'm an angst whore.

This was really short but I hope you liked it.


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